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Michael Corelion
An NPC for the Men in Black plot. = Personality = Generally mild-mannered and curious towards the cultures outside the Technocracy, Michael has a drive to understand people, and perhaps through them, discover some kind of higher purpose. He can sometimes come off as a bit robotic - a vestige of his many years in Technocratic military service - but his Avatar has driven him to be open-minded (whether he ever wanted to be or not). Regardless of any willingness to understand, he still maintains an extreme lack of skill for subtlety and manipulation outside of military tactics, and thus has a tendency to barrel into problems head-on. It's likely not a far stretch to see how the man is used to following orders and focusing on missions as a blunt instrument; only recently has his mind begun to open up to a greater array of possibility. = Sheet = Attributes: : Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 4 (6)*, Stamina 3 (5)* : Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 4 : Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4 * *See Enhancements section. Abilities: : Talents: Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Empathy 1, Insight 3, Integrity 1, Primal Urge 1, Resistance 3, Sensitivity 4, Vigilance 3 : Skills: Marksmanship 2 (Pistols; Energy Weapons), Melee 5 (Swords), Technology 2 (Biotech), Stealth 1 : Knowledges: Investigation 2, Lore 1 (Mages; Technocracy), Medicine 1, Military Tactics 1, Science 2 (Cybernetics; Genegineering) Advantages: : Spheres: Forces 2, Life 2, Matter 1, Prime 1 : Backgrounds: Avatar (Genius) 4, Enhancements 5, Wonder 5 : Virtues: Conscience: 4, Courage: 4, Self Control: 2 : Banality: 7 : Willpower: 5 : Arete: 2 : Merits: None. : Flaws: Construct (2), Demented Eidolon (3), Enemy (2) Freebies *Chargen **+5 Attributes (Charisma) **+8 Talents (1 Athletics, 1 Primal Urge, 2 Resistance) **+11 Backgrounds (10 Enhancements, 1 Talisman) **+4 Arete **-7 Flaws ***Total: 21 *Experience 2 **+5 Attributes (Wits) **+12 Talents (1 Athletics, 1 Insight, 2 Sensitivity, 2 Vigilance) **+2 Skills (1 Melee) **+4 Knowledges (1 Lore, 1 Military Science) **+1 Background (Avatar) ***Subtotal: 24 ***Total: 45 Specialties Dexterity ; Catlike Reflexes : Even before the machine enhancements, Michael possessed a certain bodily grace born of lifelong training and motivation to be a good soldier. Ropes courses were a breeze, and moving about on the battlefield has never proven too challenging. Wits ; Clear-Headed : While he wasn't at the top echelon of military command, Michael has always been noted for his clarity of thought and vision when it comes to his immediate surroundings, not to mention improvised tactics. Athletics ; Acrobatics : Whether it's flipping over enemies or running up and bouncing off walls, Michael's specialty has always been having a goal and getting to it fast. Sensitivity ; Aura Reading : It's important to know who is a reality deviant, and what kind in order to better prepare a plan of action. Melee ; Deflection/Parrying : A master of sword defense, even bullets have some difficulty getting past Michael's quick movements. Enhancements With 15 points in enhancements, Michael has the following: *(10 total) Physical Structure Enhancements: **(4) +2 Dexterity. Machines have been grafted to Michael's bones and nanomachines constantly repair and monitor his joints for improved reaction times and further physical control of his limbs. **(4) +2 Stamina. Designed to last and withstand damage long enough to complete any mission objective, Michael's body has been rewired and manipulated so as to enjoy as efficient a nervous system as possible, along with resistant skin and flesh. **(2) Ability to soak any aggravated damage and an extra bruised health level. All of Michael's organs and bones have been reinforced with special meshes and alloys to prevent hemorrhaging and serious damages. *(3 total) Skeletal Enhancement: **(2) Michael's bones are fortified and will not break under normal circumstances (falling, jumping, etc.); Michael also receives an extra bruised health level. **(1) Having been further padded with shock-absorbing technology, Michael ignores half of any post-soak bashing damage, rounded down. *(2) Replaceable Neural Bypass: Michael is currently installed with a data module that lists some known reality deviants and appropriate methods of capture or destruction, as well as some Technocratic plans and general information. Michael suffers from the following consequences of being a cyborg: *Four permanent Paradox. *(Instead of a fifth Paradox point) If he has not been charged with Primal Energy (Quintessence), the amount of energy necessary for Michael to keep his body active is immense. As such, he is almost constantly eating and almost always hungry. Thankfully his palate isn't very discerning. If the man goes some days without eating, his body will shut itself down into a low-power state (essentially a coma) until infused with Primal Energy. He can last a very long time in this state, but is considered helpless. Wonder ; Nova Curtana, The New Sword of Mercy (Arete 3) : A powerful wonder written of in several books and treatises since its creation, Nova Curtana is a sword constructed almost completely of Primium. A prototype model designed specifically for inclusion in HIT Mark Res Nova cyborg construction, this weapon was intended to be wielded in full capacity by one of these construct mage-cyborgs. Its singular purpose is to be used in the destruction of reality deviants. *Prime 3: Enchanted with the power of Prime, this sword always causes aggravated damage and can gather and store a substantial amount of Quintessence. ** Further, it may be used as a ward against any incoming magic or mystical effects. Merely having the sword on their person allows the wielder to roll the sword's Arete as countermagick against any affect directed at them, whether they are aware of the affect or not. Additionally, by acting as an obstruction in the line of sight between caster and target (standing in front of someone to protect them), the sword's innate countermagick may also be used to protect another. Finally, this ability is passive; the wielder may attempt their own countermagick in addition to the sword's. Any successes stack. *Matter 2: As long as the wielder has a small understanding of Matter and Supernatural Lore, he may change the chemical makeup of Nova Curtana for purposes of dealing with specific reality deviants (silver for Changing Breeds, cold iron for fey, etc.), and still maintain the hardness and countermagick benefits of the Primium (see Prime). *May be used as a focus. *Difficulty: 6, Damage: Strength + 2/A, Concealable by long coats, etc. Demented Eidolon Ever since Awakening, Michael's Eidolon has always appeared in his dreams as a burning, insubstantial dove and not something more appropriately Technocratic. It has forever driven him to change, move, experience, and eventually instilled in him rebellious feelings against the Technocracy's penchant to keep everything static. It was only a matter of time before those thoughts would lead to treason. Enemy While the Technocracy, itself is gunning to find and recapture Michael, his treason struck a painful chord in the man's Commander and sometimes mentor, Ryan Plank. Despite not being one of the HIT Mark Res Nova models, Ryan is still a capable cyborg that could likely outgun Michael should they ever get into another firefight, which is likely to happen at some point regardless of the Technocracy's order to bring Michael back alive. Michael's treason was a personal attack on the trust he shared with Ryan, who will not be forgiving him any time soon. =Primary Apparatuses= These devices offer the Technomancer a -1 difficulty to spheres if when used. Only one apparatus can be assigned per sphere, and only that device offers this bonus. Otherwise, apparatuses may be improvised as situations demand at normal difficulties. *'Forces' - That which acts upon individuals in battle. It is a constant limiter of physical action that can be mitigated somewhat with the use of tools and weapons designed to work within its laws. Apparatus: Sword. *'Life' - The animating energy consistent and apparent in some manner within all creatures. Be it mitochondria, chloroplast, or even hemoglobin, the apparatus that can manipulate the smallest particles of life can keep things moving indefinitely. Apparatus: Nanomachines. *'Matter' - The transmutation of matter requires the manipulation of the most basic of particles, and so requires the use of a device that can analyze such particles and calculate possible alterations. Apparatus: Hand-Held Matter Analyzer. *'Prime' - The study of Primal Energy requires the use of devices that can hold and manipulate this energy for future use. Apparatus: Quintessence battery or similar. =Paradigm= The world is controlled by laws and boundaries that are explained in the theories and investigations of Science. However, if hiding amongst the Sleepers has taught Michael nothing else, belief is a powerful force to reckon with; one's imagination can fuse and splice these Scientific Laws in new and interesting ways beyond Technocratic reckoning. Science and Imagination, Faith, Belief - these are not mutually exclusive terms. Laws must be maintained to prevent natural anarchy, but these laws may be bent, molded, and otherwise changed if one's imagination is powerful enough to convince them to do so. But his views are still changing... = Advancement = ;Current +learn :None. ;Past Advancement :Empathy 1, 8/31/09 :+teach to Roz, Melee 1, 8/24/09 :Appearance 4, 10/26/09 =History= Once the fertilization was complete, and the cells began to divide, his designation became HMRNPM-01a. The name Michael Corelion came later. Not everyone has the auspicious start of being born in a test tube. Nor do most have the distinct advantage of having one's genes meddled with somewhere in the process of creche birth. Even as he grew in white laboratory silence, Michael was always intended to be part scientist, part fighter, and part machine. His body was primed from birth to accept the cybernetic implants that would eventually come, though this arranged marriage of cold technology wasn't planned until some years later. Until then, he had the distinct pleasure of being raised in a Technocracy-sponsored nursery, sterile and perfect, under the watchful eye of legal guardians that didn't really care much for the boy beyond his potential as an experiment. There was little in the way of imagined scenery or fantasy, and no perches in which to fly away. Oh, everyone was nice enough. Likely too nice, actually. The boy's every need was seen to: Health, Education, Socialization. His genetic parents that were more donors than family he only ever met in passing, laboratory assistants as they were. If anyone could actually be called parents, it would have been his martial instructor (Mark Kelly) and private tutor (Rachel Goldstein), both of whom seemed to actually have a care as to the boy's progress on a more mundane level. They dealt with his tempers and tantrums come puberty, and walked him through those embarrassing questions of adolescence. They taught him how to smile. But in the eyes of the People, he was, foremost, an experiment. The HIT Mark series of androids were already under research and development, if not pushing towards active service. But there was a certain sentience and will missing in their programming. The HIT Mark Res Nova series of cyborgs were later proposed as a supplement to the widely successful HIT Mark development. These cyborgs would essentially be built as HIT Mark Androids and raised in a military ranking system to live and serve the greater Will of the Technocracy. Namely, they were to be used as crack units to find, capture, or destroy problematic reality deviants. Of course, kind and curious little Michael had no understanding of such things. His attention was directed towards shapes and colors and the limited imaginations a child can muster without much access to fairy tales and bed-time stories that didn't detail in vivid colors the utopia the Technocracy had planned for every little good girl and boy. But when the lights went out, Michael's thoughts wandered towards the stars and elsewhere. Perhaps it was his avatar whispering in his ear, or perhaps it's true that no child can be denied their flights of fancy. Not even Michael remembers what he dreamed about in his early childhood, but whatever it was, it kept his mind alive. He would say today he thinks it involved clouds, because wherever he was, he remembers that he could fly. Training began early in Michael's career as a soldier. Why it was decided to train him in such an anachronistic weapon as the sword is anyone's guess, though the truth of the matter is in Mark Kelly. Perhaps to allow the boy's imagination some room to play, he trained Michael in all the weapons he could think of, leaving the advanced use of firearms to the vulgar HIT Marks with their plasma cannons and Gatling guns. To a boy where all fantasy is sanitized, this was an outlet for creativity. He created new maneuvers, researched military tactics, and mostly did exactly what the Iteration X Technocrats had hoped for. This was the case until the boy opened his eyes one morning as a young man, and gazed upwards to a brighter sun and a cleaner sky. A whisper in his ear, and the world finally opened like a forbidden, illustrated storybook. He awakened. This was unexpected. Iteration X quickly gathered Michael into their ranks, and unsurprisingly, he promptly took up study in Biotechnology and applied Cybernetics. He was eighteen. But there was a problem. The brainwashing and propaganda had nestled deeply in Michael's understanding of the world, but his Eidolon that was no Eidolon raged in a winged, windy fury against the crystal shell the Technocracy had built around this understanding. Cataloging and defining, setting immovable boundaries - these became increasingly uncomfortable ideas to Michael as the Avatar whispered loudly in his ear, never quieting. It began as a dissension if idea and theory. It continued as reprimands for disobeying orders. It ended as full-blown rebellion and treason. While Michael was no stunning personality in the Technocracy, he was well-liked, and his combat record was clean and marred only by very few losses. His melee skills were near-unmatched, and his quick-thinking and fast reflexes had saved many a combat maneuver - some of his own design. He was crack unit for capture, destruction, and infiltration. If it couldn't be contained for the Technocracy, between his weapons, explosives, tactics, Michael would find a way to get to the target and make it disappear. In spite of this, many trusted him and enjoyed his quick smiles as much as his deadly accuracy, the former of which came despite his sanitized upbringing. When Michael was twenty, his combat prowess was finally recognized by his Commander, Ryan Plank, as a promotion to only a midling political position at best (it was mostly honorary), but a relatively high position amongst the military strata. Given as Michael, himself, was a prototype, it seemed appropriate to outfit him with a prototype weapon upon this promotion. It was a concerted effort of many technicians and theorists, and eventually became Michael's namesake. His duty was to collect field data, so the theories might be applied to other weapons down the road. Over the next four years, Michael continued to accumulate the hardware necessary in his ever-expanding duties as a destroyer of reality deviants, and the Nova Curtana never failed him. Expanding his knowledge of the Spheres of Influence became secondary to his duty as a soldier, and so his training there suffered. He hoped that this might quiet the tempest that continued to rage in his mind and dreams, but such things that are ignored rarely become better. Orders were questioned. The parapets of the Technocracy's high boundaries and defined "unity" suddenly didn't seem nearly as strong as they did years ago. The crystal shell began to crack. Michael began to search. Were the superstitionist mages really so wrong? Was the Technocracy's view of peace and Ascension the correct way, or was the world slowly tumbling towards totalitarian dystopia? There were no easy answers. Eventually, Michael couldn't bring himself to summon the zeal necessary to destroy as he used to, and the crystal shell of careful brainwashing and propaganda crumbled around him. Only then did his Avatar begin to give him some rest. But it was too late for Michael to go back. The accumulating black marks on his record made the powers that be wary. He needed to be sanitized, brought back to the correct way of thinking, even if this meant direct neural override. It was time to fly. Maybe the Technocracy was right about a lot of things, but Michael wasn't about to let his questions go so easily unanswered. Collecting his things, and enough laboratory equipment to keep his cybernetic parts in working order, Michael began a quiet exodus away from the Technocracy in both mind and body. He had help. Aware that this would likely be a one-way trip, Michael was able to gather the aid of both Mark Kelly and Rachel Goldstein to disappear temporarily, though not without an eventual confrontation with Commander Ryan Plank. Though not a HIT Mark model, Ryan was the better manipulator of Primal Energy, and it took all of Michael's dwindling resources to run away without endangering his "parents". He eventually arrived in Crystal Springs after navigating several cities to clear the Technocracy immediately off his trail. While Michael simply has too much hardware to not be recaptured and sanitized, disappearing amongst the Supernaturals of Crystal Springs has offered the man some chance to breathe. Though there are other reasons. Trying to eke out a meager living at the moment as a mercenary, Michael is in sudden need to either make money and house himself, or find a patron, as his cybernetic parts may begin to fail if they don't receive maintenance soon. =Additional Pictures= File:Raoul bova.jpg File:3cf6d1e6.jpg File:Rphoto.jpg File:RaoulBova7.jpg File:M - Raul Bova 2.jpg Category:NPCs